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Overview

A condensed, more accessible version of the best-selling corrections book on the market, AMERICAN CORRECTIONS IN BRIEF, 3rd Edition, introduces students to the dynamics of corrections in a way that captures their interest and encourages them to enter the field. The brief paperback format makes this book more approachable, and the well-respected author team incorporates several pedagogical elements to promote students' success. Complete with valuable career-based material, insightful guest speakers, illuminating real-world cases, and uniquely even-handed treatment of institutional and community sanctions, the text examines the U.S. correctional system from the perspectives of both the corrections worker and the offender, providing students with a well-rounded, balanced introduction to corrections.

Meet the Authors

Todd R. Clear,
Rutgers University

Todd R. Clear is the Provost at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. He is currently involved in studies of religion and crime, the criminological implications of "place," and the concept of "community justice." He serves as founding editor of the journal Criminology and Public Policy. Previous writing covers the topics of correctional classification, prediction methods in correctional programming, community-based correctional methods, intermediate sanctions, and sentencing policy. Clear has been elected to national office in the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He has served as a programming and policy consultant to public agencies in over 40 states and five nations, and his work has been recognized through several awards, including those of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, The Rockefeller School of Public Policy, the American Probation and Parole Association, and the International Community Corrections Association. Clear is the author of three books on community justice: COMMUNITY JUSTICE (Cengage Learning), WHAT IS COMMUNITY JUSTICE? (Sage), and THE COMMUNITY JUSTICE IDEAL (Westview). He is also author of IMPRISONING COMMUNITIES: HOW MASS INCARCERATION MAKES DISADVANTAGED PLACES WORSE (Oxford University Press).

Michael D. Reisig,
Arizona State University

Michael Reisig is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. He received his Ph.D. from Washington State University in 1996. Previously he was faculty member at Michigan State University and Florida State University. His corrections research has appeared in several leading criminology journals, including Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and Punishment and Society.

Carolyn Petrosino,
Bridgewater State University

Carolyn Petrosino is Professor of Criminal Justice and Founding Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. She received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1993. Prior to beginning her teaching career, she held various positions in the corrections system of the State of New Jersey. Her publications include journal articles and book chapters on such topics as hate crimes, juvenile delinquency, sexual offenders, and parole decision-making. She has published in Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Social Issues, Journal of Criminal Justice, Police Quarterly, and Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. Dr. Petrosino's forthcoming book is UNDERSTANDING HATE CRIMES: ACTS, MOTIVES, OFFENDERS, VICTIMS, AND JUSTICE (Routledge).

George F. Cole,
University of Connecticut

The late George F. Cole was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Connecticut. He was recognized for outstanding teaching and research and in 1995 was named a Fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. A specialist in the administration of criminal justice, he published extensively on such topics as prosecution, courts, and corrections. He developed and directed the graduate corrections program at the University of Connecticut and was a Fellow at the National Institute of Justice (1988). Among his other accomplishments, he was granted two awards under the Fulbright-Hays Program to conduct criminal justice research in England and the former Yugoslavia.

What's New

Chapter 1, What is Corrections, provides enhanced coverage of trends in the corrections system today. More time is spent discussing the emergence of evidence-based corrections, asking students to rethink their notions of the corrections system as it currently exists. The chapter also provides an introduction to private prisons, a topic that is widely debated in the field. Overall, students will step away from this chapter with a more developed sense of where Corrections stands at the moment, and how the system fits within Criminal Justice as a whole.

MindTap for American Corrections in Brief, 3th Edition has met the Quality Matters Review Standards and is Quality Matters Certified. For more information, visit qualitymatters.org.

In Chapter 2, The Punishment of Offenders, students will review expanded historical background on the various forms of punishment before moving on to new approaches, which includes increased coverage of restorative justice, and how this contrasts with the retributive perspective of crime. This chapter also contains new discussion on the efficacy of three-strikes laws, and concludes with more detailed sections on sentencing disparity and how The Innocence Project has brought attention to wrongful conviction.

Chapter 8, Prison Management, contains added coverage on problems within the prison system, such as rape and gangs. The chapter has also been expanded to discuss management of private prisons as well as more information on non-correctional officer jobs for the career-focused student.

In Chapter 9, "Special Populations," readers will find expanded information about elderly prisoners and the deinstitutionalization of mentally ill prisoners. There is also a new section on military veteran prisoners and the efforts of the correctional system to respond to them effectively.

Chapter 13, The Future Corrections more fully covers the most current and engaging trends in the field. Students will understand where Corrections is headed, with new information on privatization, diversity of corrections personnel, justice reinvestment, the role of technology, and changing prison structures.

Features

"Myths in Corrections" sidebars address common myths and misconceptions about corrections and criminal justice, providing an interesting and effective way to engage students, stimulate class discussion, and encourage critical thinking.

Unique, highly praised "Do the Right Thing" insets present scenarios in which ethical questions arise. Students examine the issues and consider how they would act in such a situation.

To provide maximum learning reinforcement and student success, each chapter's learning objectives are carefully integrated within the text, matched to end-of-chapter summary sections, and linked to corresponding quiz/test items.

"Focus On. . ." boxes bring to life the real-world relevance of the issues discussed in the text. These boxes -- organized into Correctional Technology, Correctional Policy, and Correctional Practice topic areas -- use vivid, in-depth accounts by correctional workers, journalists, prisoners, parolees, and the relatives of those who are in the system.

To reflect the way the corrections system has evolved in recent decades, the authors devote three chapters to community corrections, more than any other corrections textbook on the market.

"Careers in Corrections" features present information on various career paths in corrections. The material includes the nature of the work, required qualifications, earnings, and job outlook -- providing valuable insight into who plays what role.

Compare Buying Options

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Options

Each MindTap product offers the full, mobile-ready textbook combined with superior and proven learning tools at one affordable price. Students who purchase digital access can add a print option at any time when a print option is available for their course.

This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Reviews

"I would describe this text as a large book in a small package. The text has all the attributes of a larger, hardcover textbook. . . . There is nothing missing here other than the weight."

"I believe that the book's presentation is the best on the market. The reading is consistently interesting for students at the undergraduate level and concepts are presented clearly."

"The book covers an amazing breadth of material in a rather succinct format, and the material presented is presented in a fair and even-handed manner. The approach is very appealing and the style of writing engaging. The book can be used to convey foundational knowledge, while allowing instructors to customize their course to their own style."

FOR INSTRUCTORS

Online Instructor's Manual

Online PowerPoint®

ISBN: 9781305673687
Helping you make your lectures more engaging while effectively reaching your visually oriented students, these handy Microsoft® PowerPoint® slides outline the chapters of the main text in a classroom-ready presentation. The PowerPoint® slides are updated to reflect the content and organization of the new edition of the text.

Cengage Learning Testing, powered by Cognero® Instant Access

ISBN: 9781305640870
Cengage Learning Testing Powered by Cognero® is a flexible, online system that allows you to: import, edit, and manipulate content from the text's test bank or elsewhere, including your own favorite test questions; create multiple test versions in an instant; and deliver tests from your LMS, your classroom, or wherever you want.